Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an internal combustion engine of the turbo-compressor type. More particularly, the present invention relates to improvements of the internal combustion engine disclosed in applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 3,613,361.
The engine disclosed in the above-mentioned patent has been designed to create a constantly flowing stream of pressurized air and wherein a first compressor compresses a stream of air channeled to a combustion chamber where it is mixed with fuel, under pressure, and ignited. The ignited combustion gases from the combustion chamber are led to an exhaust chamber and subjected to further compression in a second compressor, from whence they are exhausted. The turbine of the internal combustion engine is aligned with both compressors along a common elongated shaft, whereby the combustion gases generated in the combustion chamber are used to drive the turbine and compressors.
The problem with the otherwise satisfactory internal combustion engine of the above-described patent resides in that the common shaft, on which both compressors and the turbine are mounted in alignment with each other, should be made as a rigid elongated shaft which requires two bearing housings mounted on specially designed struts emplaced within the base of the combustion chamber and at the intake duct of the engine, respectively. Moreover, bearings used in gas turbine engines are typically subjected to high temperature and high pressure. Due to the above-described operation, conditions to which the bearings supporting the shaft of the internal combustion chamber are subject, the bearings can suffer seizure, thermal breakage or similar difficulties because of local overheating. It has been therefore, desired to improve bearing systems for supporting elongated shafts of internal combustion engines or substitute them with different, but more reliable structures.